


Mandatory Fun

by existential_crisis_katie



Category: The Black Tapes Podcast
Genre: Alex gets a break, Everyone Gets A Break, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, No demons at the beach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-18 05:25:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/existential_crisis_katie/pseuds/existential_crisis_katie
Summary: “If you were there, I might actually get to relax. Read a book, have a drink, get some sun....” she trailed off imagining a more quiet, tropical paradise. Away from Nic and their merry band of interns, “in my new bathing suit, of course.”Did she just wink at me?Nic decides that the crew has been looking at 'too much weird shit' and needs a day at the beach.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> They all just need a break, okay?
> 
> Trying my hand at this again.

_ Too revealing, too shiny, too … strappy. Think of the tan lines! I can’t think of anything else I’d like to do less at this moment. Who even designs these torture devices? _

 

“What torture devices?” Strands voice startled Alex out of her dazed scrolling through the bathing suits on the Victoria’s Secret website. The weather had been sweltering this week - one of the hottest on record. The ancient air conditioner in Howard Strand’s house had given in under the oppressive heat, so Strand has shown up at Alex’s office door, sleeves of his button up shoved past his elbow and a fine sheen of sweat on his brow looking for refuge in her well conditioned office. He had also brought her an iced coffee from the shop around the corner, so she had cleared a section of her desk for him to work at. 

 

“Aha, did I say that outloud?” Alex asked sheepishly. Strand hadn’t lifted his head from the document in his lap he was scanning, a yellow highlighter pinched between his long fingers.

 

“Yes. Did you not mean to?” He peered up at her through his glasses. 

 

“Nevermind.” Alex straightened herself up and stretched in her chair. Her back cracked with a satisfying pop. She gathered up the loose strands of hair that had escaped from her bun and shoved them back into her scrunchy. “Find anything good?”

 

Strand’s eyes flicked quickly from the sliver of skin revealed at the edge of her thin tank top back to the papers in his hands. This weather was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. 

 

“Unfortunately, no. I am finding it hard to focus when it is this hot out. Normally I would have finished a document this size hours ago.”

 

Alex chuckled and twisted her office chair back and forth, “Hmm, even two PhDs can’t protect you from the heat. I’m not having much luck either.”

 

“No? What are you looking at?” He reached over to turn her laptop screen around. 

 

“No, don’t!” Alex shrieked, but he was too fast for her. 

 

Strand raised an inquisitve eyebrow at her and smirked, “I didn’t realize one-piece swimwear was connected to Sumarian Mythology, Ms. Reagan.” 

 

Alex groaned and covered her face as her cheeks tinged pink. She lowered her head to her desk. “Leave me be,” she moaned. 

 

Strand chuckled and pushed her laptop back towards her. “If you require a break, I could use a cold drink. Would you like a refill?” He gestured towards her cup.

 

“No, no, I don’t need a break.” She propped her head up on one hand and blew a piece of hair out of her face, “I have to go shopping after work for a new swimsuit for Nic’s ‘mandatory fun’ beach trip this weekend with the interns. I was scoping out the offerings so I know what to expect when I go.” She sighed loudly as she scrolled through the list of beachwear again, “Swim suit shopping is the literal worst. It’s actual torture.”

 

“Surely it can’t be that difficult for someone like you,” he made a vague waving gesture towards her. 

 

Alex’s brows pinched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Uh, I just mean,” Strand stammered and cleared his throat, “uh, for a woman of your-your stature. What’s this about mandatory fun?”

 

Alex filed his reaction away to analyze later. “Nic is taking us all to the beach on Saturday. He says we’ve been ‘looking at too much weird shit’ lately and we all need a break.”

 

“Didn’t we have plans to finish watching that last batch of tapes this weekend?” Strand pointed out, grateful that his slip up was not noted. This heat...

 

“That’s what I told Nic, but he insisted. He said that I needed the break more than anyone and he was going to ‘drag me into the ocean kicking and screaming’ if that’s what it took.”

 

“He’s not wrong,” Strand pointed out, “You could use a break.”

 

“So could you,” Alex countered, sitting up straight. A mischevious look crossed her face.

 

“I do not enjoy the beach,” Richard stated quickly, “I would not be good company.”

 

“Hmm, you’re probably right,” Alex mused, swirling the last dregs of ice and diluted coffee around in her plastic cup, “I can’t imagine the mighty Richard Strand building sandcastles. I bet you burn real fast in the sun. You must be pretty pasty under those button ups.” She darted forward and rubbed the fabric of his shirt sleeve between her pinched fingers. 

 

Despite the heat, Strand shivered and pulled back.

 

“Like I said, not good company.” He stood and began packing his things. 

 

Alex frowned, “I’m sorry Richard, I was only joking. I just thought that maybe if you came, the interns would be less inclined to gang up on me. You know you intimidate them.” 

 

He gave her a wry smile. 

 

“If you were there, I might  _ actually _ get to relax. Read a book, have a drink, get some sun....” she trailed off imagining a more quiet, tropical paradise. Away from Nic and their merry band of interns, “in my new bathing suit, of course.” 

 

_ Did she just wink at me?  _

 

“I’m sure you’ll have a good time,” Strand assured her as he hiked his messenger bag over his shoulder. 

 

“I could help put on your sunblock,” she singsonged, chin perched in her hands. She fluttered her big green eyes up at him through her long lashes. 

 

Strand stared at her, eyes wide, cheeks pink, as his brain rebooted. She was nothing if not persistent.  _ Eleven phone calls _ . 

 

He blinked hard and shook his head, setting his mouth in a line, “I’ll see you on Monday, Ms. Reagan,” and he left before she could use any other feminine wiles on him. 

 

Behind him, he heard Alex burst into laughter. The sound followed him through the hall and into the elevator.

 

_ This heat would be the death of him. _


	2. t

“Dr. Strand! I’m glad I caught you, could you come to my office for a minute?”

 

Nic popped his head out the door of his office just as Strand was about to step onto the elevator. Part of him wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard him and just go home. He had just finished saying goodbye to Alex for the weekend and he didn’t want to explain to another person why he would not be attending their beach adventure. Alas, Nic had stepped into the hallway and was waving him in through the door. 

 

Strand picked his way through a number of cardboard boxes that littered the floor of Nic’s office. One seemed to be full of socks. The difference between Nic and Alex’s offices was stark. Where Alex enjoyed a more minimalistic style with a few succulents and personal touches, Nic’s style could be described as ‘eager freshman in a dorm room’. The walls were covered with posters from obscure movies Strand had never heard of. Boxes of sponsor samples were stacked around his desk. His computer monitor was surrounded by small figurines and bobbleheads. A framed picture sat on the other side of his desk. Upon closer inspection, it contained a picture of a younger Nic and Alex, their arms slung around each other. They beamed up at the camera, their faces streaked with mud. Strand couldn’t remember the last time he saw Alex look like that - happy and carefree. 

_ Whose fault is that? _

 

“I just wanted to touch base with how you’re getting to the beach on Saturday,” Nic broke through Strand’s thoughts as he settled into his worn office chair. He picked up smiley face stress ball tossed it between his hands, “The interns are renting a van, but I have space in my car with Alex if you wanted to carpool.”

 

“I won’t be joining you,” Strand interrupted, “I already gave that message to Alex.”

 

“I see. Did she tell you this was mandatory fun?” Nic mused, twisting his chair back and forth. 

 

Strand bristled, “Yes, for  _ your _ staff. I’ll remind you that I am the subject of your podcast and not your employee.”

Nic wasn’t phased. He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “And I’ll remind you,  _ doctor _ , that Alex slept perfectly fine until you brought demons and shadowed figures and your family drama into her life.”

 

Strand gaped at him. “I’ll have you know-”

 

Nic put his hand up to stop him. He sighed, “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I know that Alex brought herself into this whole… mess,” he waved his hand towards the man sitting in front of him. “It’s just… The sleep thing. It’s bad. She’s internalizing all this creepy demon shit and it’s really affecting her.” Strand’s anger slowly slipped away. He sat down in the chair opposite Nic. 

 

“She hasn’t said anything,” Strand said quietly.

 

“Of course she hasn’t. She’s independent to a fault.” Nic explained, “But I’ve caught her just staring at the wall in her office more than once. She doesn’t trust herself to drive so she’s been walking to work the last week. I’m worried about her and she won’t open up to me about it. She just... she really needs a break. Before she’s ordered on another sabbatical.”

 

“And me coming on your ‘mandatory fun’” Strand air quoted, “is part of this break?”

 

Sensing he was gaining ground, Nic perked up, “Yes. If she knows you’re at home watching black tapes without her, it will be all she thinks about,” he explained. “But if you’re there, I think she’ll actually let herself relax.”

 

Strand considered this. He also considered a quiet weekend to himself. “Perhaps telling her that I will wait to watch the tapes with her next week will suffice?”

 

“Dr. Strand,” Nic laced his fingers together and placed them on the table in front of him like he was about to explain something very obvious to someone who didn’t have multiple PhDs, “You know that Alex is… fond of you.” Strand’s eyebrow quirked up. “And I don’t think I’m too far off to say that you care about her too. Having you there will put her at ease.” 

 

Multiple retorts came to Richard’s mind. 

 

_ This is highly unprofessional.  _

 

_ You don’t know what you’re talking about. _

 

_ Unethical... _

 

He swallowed them all down. 

 

“When do we leave?”


	3. three

Alex gave up tossing and turning in her makeshift bed on the couch. Cursing her insomnia addled brain for refusing to drop her into REM sleep, she squinted at the bright screen of her phone in the dim early dawn. 4am. She sighed and sat up, arranging her blankets into a lumpy burrito. Nic would be by at 9 to pick her up for their beach day. Still, too early emerge from her cozy pile.

 

_ If I’m in bed, my body is resting, even if I am not asleep _ .

 

She repeated this helpful mantra every time she couldn’t sleep. Her sleep therapist’s rationale was that her anxiety over not sleeping was causing her not to sleep. 

 

_ A stupid, vicious cycle. _

 

She loaded up a light sitcom on Netflix and shuffled around so she could properly check her phone. A text from Nic reminding her to bring that coconut-scented sunscreen he liked so much and to try to get some sleep. Three facebook notifications. A snapchat to PNWS groupchat. An email from Strand reminding her of an interview with the author of a book on Sumerian mythology on Monday. 

 

_ Shoot _ . 

 

Alex pulled the blankets over her head and groped around on the coffee table for the book she gave up reading around midnight. She promised Strand she would absolutely have it read by the end of the weekend and she wasn’t even halfway through. 

 

_ That keener probably already finished it.  _

 

She slammed her laptop shut, reached over and turned on the side lamp, and got to work.

 

___________________

 

Her phone woke her up before she could sink too deep into her nightmare. It would be misleading to call it reoccurring.  _ Aptly themed is more like it _ . It was a text from Nic - a string of beach themed emojis, some kissy faces, and a reminder that he’d be there in an hour. She kicked off her blankets. The book was discarded on the floor where it had slipped from her fingers. It would have to come with her. She shot off a text to Nic reminding him of her iced coffee order and set to getting ready for the beach. A shower was in order followed by a quick breakfast. 

 

Her mind wandered as she shampooed her hair under the warm water. Nic was right - she probably did need a break. She wished he didn’t worry so much, but there was no getting around it. For the longest time, the two of them were closer than close. Now that they were waist deep into their respective “weird shit” (as Nic referred to it), their time spent together waned. They hadn’t had a take-out and movie marathon weekend since before Richard Strand entered her life and began taking up space. She suspected this ‘mandatory fun’ day was as much an excuse to spend some quality time with her as it was a warning about taking it easy before she made another colossal mistake. 

 

After she rinsed and dried her hair, she dug out her new bathing suit. Buying it wasn’t as torturous as she had expected. 

 

_ A woman of your stature _ . 

 

Strand’s odd comment had rattled around in her brain while she was wrestling her body into suit after suit, critically appraising every curve of her body in the fluorescent glow of the change room. She tried not to imagine his reaction if he saw her in the simple black two-piece that she chose. Boyshorts for bottoms and a bikini top. Surely, deep down under his layers of crisp button-ups, apophenia, and mystery upon mystery he was simply a man. 

 

_ Get your mind out of the gutter, Alex, before you get yourself in trouble _ .

 

She banished all thoughts of the good doctor, who would be spending the weekend catching up on black tapes alone in his father’s house, and set to work on getting ready. She slipped into her two-piece - ignoring how her ribs poked out just a little too much - and braided her hair into two adorable plaits. She chose a whispy emerald green sundress to pull over it as a cover, a pair of white flip flops, and a medium-sized straw sun hat. She packed the sunscreen for Nic, an oversized pair of sunglasses, a large beach towel, her water bottle, a magazine, and the book on Sumerian mythology for good measure. By the time she was done, Nic was beeping outside of her apartment. She locked her apartment and made her way to his beat-up green jeep. 

 

_ Wait a second _ .

 

The passenger seat that was meant for her was already occupied. The window rolled down.

 

_ No. Fucking. Way. _

 

Alex felt her chest color under her sundress. As much as she teased, this is not what she was planning for her day at the beach.

 

“Doctor Strand?”

 

In the front seat sat Richard  _ doesn’t enjoy beaches  _ Strand in a soft white henley and - were those  _ swim shorts _ ?

 

Strand flashed her one of his rare soft smiles, his cool blue eyes obscured by prescription sunglasses, and passed her an iced coffee. She gaped and looked past Strand to where Nicodemus Silver was sitting in the driver’s seat with a  _ shit eating grin _ on his stupid face.

 

“C’mon!” he called, “I want to beat the interns there!”

 

It was all she could to do heft her bag into the backseat and buckle in and not glare at him in the rearview mirror as he screeched out of the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly remembering how to write. Reviews give me life! <3


End file.
